A Ranger Dilemma
by Ghostwriter
Summary: HISB After the other Rangers are sent to another dimension, Katherine and Billy have to face a monster on their own.
1. Wrecked Plans

BROWN'S DILEMMA

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Reworking of "Another Brick In The Wall". Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. Yes, this chap starts off the same way as "The Split Flower", but the episode's not going to be the same, there is a reference to "The Spit Flower".

It was a beautiful day in Angel Grove. The sky was clear and birds chirped and sang. In the midst of this, two teens-a guy and a girl-were putting the finishing touches on a housing project.

"Wow, Kat. This house looks really good," the boy told her. Katherine beamed at the boy's comment.

"Thanks, Jason," she responded. Jason continued to apply the screw. "Wow. I can't believe that we were able to build this house as part of the Cleanup Club," she continued.

"Yeah, well, it's hard to say no to Trini," he commented and she laughed. Jason had a point there. Being fairly new to Angel Grove, she hadn't known Trini as long as Jason had, but even **she** knew that there was no point in arguing with the girl when she became passionate about something. What the two didn't know was that they were being watched. From her Moon Palace, Rita's eyes darkened.

"So, Katherine has a new project, does she?" she asked.

"Yes, and it's part of that 'Cleanup Club' that Trini started," Scorpina sneered.

"And it looks like they're almost done," Squatt commented.

"Well, we can't have that…now can we?" Rita asked. "Send the Putties down!" she ordered. Back on Earth, Jason was about to hammer in another nail when he became aware of the new presences.

"Kat! We've got company!" he warned. The girl turned around to see a group of Rita's Putties.

"Oh, great! I had a feeling that this morning was going too well!" she exclaimed. The two spread out and started fighting the clay creatures. Soon, it became apparent that fighting wasn't the Putties' main objective. _No! I can't let them destroy the project!_ Katherine thought. She kicked and punched the Putties, trying to halt their actions with little success. Jason was faring no better. While he combated one group of Putties, another tore the building down.

"Oh, no! Putties!" they heard Aisha yell. The rest of the Rangers went to attack the clay creatures, only to have them disappear. Katherine looked at the ruined project, tears forming.

"I don't believe this. It's completely ruined," she said.

"Oh, Kat. Cheer up. We can help you fix this," Rocky assured, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"And then Rita will wreck it again. What's the use? I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up," Katherine responded, jerking away. Then, she ran off. Jason started after her, only to have Kimberly grab his arm.

"Let me talk to her. After all, I can relate," she reminded him. Then, she hurried after Kat. "Hey," she said.

"Oh, Kim. Hi. I guess you're going to tell me I overreacted, huh?" Katherine queried.

"Absolutely not," Kimberly responded, shaking her head. "I know exactly how you feel. You put your heart and soul into something and then Rita just goes and destroys it," she continued.

"She did this to you too?" the Brown Ranger asked.

"Yeah. She destroyed a float I built. I was so crushed."

"What am I going to do?"

"Like Rocky said, we can help you fix it. After all, we don't want to Rita to win, do we?"

"**Never**." Katherine gave Kimberly a small smile and they walked back to their friends.

"Hey, girl. Don't you worry. We'll show Rita and Zedd they can't get to us **that** easily," Jason promised, taking her hand in his. Katherine smiled at him and nodded. He was right. She wasn't going to let Rita get to her. Everything would be okay. Back in the Moon Palace, Rita's eyes narrowed.

"OOOOOH! I could've sworn we had her beat!" she screeched as Zedd slowly walked up to her.

"What's the matter, my Sour Puss?" he asked.

"I wrecked Katherine's project and she bounced right back," she answered.

"But only after talking to Jason and Kimberly," Goldar pointed out. "The Brown Ranger is still fairly new to the team and if you get rid of the other Rangers, she'll fall into despair," he continued.

"What! That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" Zedd blustered.

"Wait a minute, Zedd. Goldar's got a point. Katherine obviously relies on the other Power Pukes when things get tough. If we take away her friends, she'll have nobody to turn to and we can crush her easily," Rita pointed out.

"And how are you going to do that?" Zedd demanded.

"I'll call upon Lokar and have him battle the Rangers. Then, I'll have him transport every one of them except Katherine to another dimension," Rita replied. "She won't stand a chance by herself." She let out a cackle and started chanting the spell to summon the creature. Soon, the creature appeared and Rita and her minions laughed. The Power Rangers were in for it now.


	2. Dividing Forces

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. I only own the subplots and anything else you don't recognize. I got the idea of turning people into stone from the MF ep "Rock Solid".

Later that day, Katherine went to Ernie's Gym And Juice Bar and walked up to the counter.

"Diet coke please," she requested.

"You got it, Kat," Ernie said and went to do so. Just then, Richie came in from the kitchen.

"Hey, Richie," she greeted.

"Hey, Kat. Waiting for the others?" he queried.

"Yeah, except for Jason," she answered. He gave her a confused look.

"He's got a shift today with Bulk, Skull, and Tyler," she answered, grimacing at the last name.

"Is he still bothering you?" he asked in concern.

"Nothing I can't handle," she assured.

"All right, but if that changes…" he began.

"I'll let you know," she promised. Meanwhile, Lt. Stone, Jason, Bulk, Skull, and Tyler were all at a construction site.

"Gentleman, there has been a rash of thefts around here and I want **you** to find out who's behind it," he told them.

"Yes, Sir," they all chorused. _Not that Bulk and Skull will be any help_, Tyler thought to himself. Honestly, why did Lt. Stone put up with them? Then, the man left them.

"I don't get it. Who would wanna steal a bunch of tools?" Skull asked.

"That's a good question," Jason mused. _Well, we got our orders_, he thought to himself. They'd just have to wait it out and see what was going on. On the moon, Rita watched as the four patrolled the site and laughed.

"That stupid Power Ranger's out in the open," she smirked. Well, she'd allow him this luxury just this once. After all, Lokar **was** going to get rid of him and the other Rangers very soon. Just then, she heard faint clanging coming from Finster's laboratory and hurried towards the sound. _I didn't call for a monster, so what is he making?_ she wondered. "Finster, what are you creating?" she asked.

"I have created Pollux my Queen. He is able to turn a being into stone just by breathing on them," he replied.

"Yes, I remember him. We used him twenty-thousand years ago in order to conquer the Tri Gamma System," Rita recalled. "He will do nicely as a diversion before I send the Rangers to another dimension," she continued. Almost as soon as she was done with the sentence, the monster came out of the Monster-Matic. He was completely gray except for deep red eyes. With another cackle, she sent the creature down to Earth, where it immediately began turning people to stone. It transported itself from location to location, leaving stone statues all over Angel Grove. In the Command Center, the alarm blared.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! Rita's sent down Pollux! And it looks like he's heading straight for Jason and his friends!" Alpha exclaimed.

"Contact Jason and the other Rangers at once," Zordon instructed and Alpha did as he was told. Hearing his communicator, Jason discreetly walked away from Bulk, Skull, and Tyler.

"What's going on, Alpha?" he asked quietly.

"Rita's sent down a monster known as Pollux who has the power to turn any being into stone just by breathing on them," Alpha reported. _Oh, man. That's not good_, Jason thought.

"What's the location?" he asked out loud.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi! He's headed your way!" Alpha reported. Almost immediately, there came a blast. Hearing the sound, Bulk, Skull, and Tyler turned around.

"What was that?" Tyler wondered.

"It's another one of Rita and Zedd's monsters!" Bulk cried.

"Well, I'm not sticking around to be monster bait!" Tyler exclaimed and ran off.

"I think for once, he has the right idea," Skull said and he and Bulk followed suit. Jason morphed, brought out his Power Sword, and leapt through the air, lunging at the monster. Pollux cried out in pain and rolled on the ground as the other Rangers appeared.

"Whoa. He's even uglier than I thought," the Pink Ranger said. _Yes, all the Rangers are in one spot!_ Rita thought to herself.

"Magic Wand, make my monster grow!" Electricity crackled from her staff and the monster grew to new heights.

"We need Thunderzord Power now!"

"Drago-Tigerzord!"

"Raptor Thunderzord Power!"

"Mastodon-Lion Thunderzord Power!"

"Pterodactyl-Firebird Thunderzord Power!"

"Drago Thunderzord Power!"

"Stega Thunderzord Power!"

"Brachio Thunderzord Power!"

"Triceratops-Unicorn Thunderzord Power!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger-Griffin Thunderzord Power!"

"Tyrannosaurus-Red Dragon Thunderzord Power!" As soon as the machines arrived, each Ranger jumped into their respective zord.

"Bring 'em together!" the Red Ranger ordered and the zords joined together. Pollux growled and swiped at the Rangers, knocking them back.

"It's time, Lokar! Get down there!" Rita yelled. Lokar did as he was told.

"Is that a floating head?" the Silver Ranger asked in surprise. _What is that thing?_ he wondered, looking at the head that was covered in multiple crisscrossing scars.

"It's Lokar!" the Pink Ranger gasped. It's not possible. _He was killed with Cyclopsis_, she thought.

"I thought we destroyed him!" the Black Ranger exclaimed.

"Apparently not. Keep your guard up!" the Red Ranger warned. Pollux growled and punched and then kicked the Thunderzord, causing it to shake. Lokar let out a yell and fired electricity at the zords. Then, he fired again. The Rangers cried out in pain as the zords stumbled backwards. Another hit and the Rangers were knocked out of the zords. Electricity filled the sky and a vortex appeared and headed straight for them.

"Oh, my gosh. What's happening?" the Pink Ranger wondered.

"Hold on!" the Red Ranger shouted. Each of the Rangers jumped out of the way of the vortex. However, only the Blue and Brown Rangers managed to get out of the way. To their surprise, the other Rangers-as well as Pollux-disappeared.

"Jason! Guys!" the Brown Ranger shouted.

"Come on. We've gotta get to the Command Center," the Blue Ranger told her and they teleported to their base of command.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi! That was close, you two!" Alpha exclaimed.

"I'll say," Billy agreed.

"Zordon, where did Rita and Zedd send the others?" Katherine wondered.

"It's uncertain, Katherine. Though I fear they may have been placed in another dimension," Zordon answered.

"What! How can we get them back?" Katherine wondered.

"I am uncertain, Katherine," Zordon admitted and Billy and Katherine shared worried looks as Alpha immediately went to the consoles and programmed in a search. _Jason_, she thought.

"Don't worry, Kat. We'll get 'em back," Billy assured, placing a hand on her shoulder.


	3. Saving Teammates

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. I only own the subplots and characters you don't recognize. Reference to "Return Of An Old Friend Pt 2".

The other Rangers groaned in pain when they landed. The Red Ranger looked at the other Rangers and at himself. _Okay, we're not demorphed, that's good_, he thought.

"Where are we?" the Purple Ranger wondered, picking herself up.

"Well, it's not an island, so that's an up side," the Black Ranger commented.

"Very funny, man," the Gold Ranger said.

"Who said he was kidding?" asked the Pink Ranger. The Red Ranger pressed a button on his communicator.

"Jason to Command Center. Do you read me?" he asked, but was only answered by a squealing noise. The other Rangers also tried their communicators, but met with the same results. They also tried teleporting to no avail.

"Man! I don't believe this!" the Green and White Ranger cried in frustration.

"Kat and Billy are still out there. They'll get us back," the Yellow Ranger reminded them.

"Yeah, that's true," the Red Ranger said. _Man, Kat must be freaking out_, he thought. This would be the first time that she was practically on her own. Little did he know, his fear was well-founded.

"Billy, what are we going to do? I mean, Jason's not here, and we're on our on our own," Katherine worried.

"I know it seems hopeless, but you've got to have faith. We'll figure out how to bring them back," Billy comforted.

"I'll try," Katherine sighed. _Jason, I wish you were here. I don't know if I can do this without you_, she thought to herself. However, she knew she was going to have to at least try. Jason and the others were depending on her and Billy to get them back. "Zordon, what was that thing that created the vortex? I believe Kim called it Lokar?" she asked.

"Yes. The last time we faced him was about-a couple of years ago-when we fought Goldar's zord Cyclopsis," Billy responded. "We had thought Lokar had been destroyed," he added.

"And he sent Jason and the others away?" she asked.

"That's how it would appear to be, yes," came the response. Just then, the alarm blared.

"Oh, no. Now what?" Katherine asked.

"While Rita has returned Pollux to his smaller size, he is still running loose in Angel Grove turning people into stone!" Alpha reported.

"We've got to stop him," Katherine determined.

"Be careful, Rangers. And may the Power protect you," Zordon told them.

"Back to action!" Billy called. As soon as they landed where Pollux was, the two Rangers brought out their weapons and charged at the creature. Flipping through the air, the Blue Ranger hit Pollux with his Power Lance. Then, the Brown Ranger slashed him with her Bo Staff. Pollux fell back with a pained cry. Pollux inhaled deeply.

"LOOK OUT!" At the Blue Ranger's warning, the Brown Ranger jumped to the side as the Blue Ranger did the same when Pollux exhaled.

"We need to figure out how to stop him!" the Brown Ranger called, causing the monster to laugh.

"You can't stop me, little girl. I'm **far** too powerful for two puny Rangers to defeat all by themselves," it boasted. From underneath her helmet, the Brown Ranger rolled her eyes. _Oh, for crying out loud. Are all of Rita's monsters this arrogant?_ she wondered. Then, the monster leaped into the air and the two Rangers did likewise, their weapons hitting it, resulting in the creature to let out an agonized cry. Then, it pulled out a sword.

"WHOA! Where'd **that** come from?" the Brown Ranger wondered.

"I'm more concerned about what he plans to do with it," the Blue Ranger responded. Then, Pollux lunged at the two who braced themselves for a strike. In the Command Center, the computer finally made a chirping sound, indicating that it had found something. Alpha waited until the paper was done printing and then pulled the page out.

"What does it say, Alpha?" Zordon asked.

"If Billy and Katherine put the Power Lance and Power Staff together and then throw them into Pollux's dimensional vortex, they just might be able to free the other Rangers," Alpha reported.

"Billy and Katherine, can you hear me?" Zordon asked.

"Yes, we read you, Zordon," the Brown Ranger answered.

"If you combine your weapons and then throw them into the interdimensional vortex, it just may free the other Rangers," Zordon told them.

"And if doesn't work?" the Brown Ranger asked.

"Then your weapons and the other Rangers will be lost forever," Zordon replied. She inhaled nervously.

"Well, what do you think?" she asked.

"It's worth a shot," the Blue Ranger determined. She nodded. They put their weapons together and then heaved them towards the vortex. In the other dimension, the Red Ranger stopped.

"Jase, what is it?" the Green and White Ranger asked.

"I thought I heard something," the Red Ranger replied.

"Hey, look!" the Silver Ranger shouted. They all turned to where their friend was pointing.

"Billy and Kat's weapons!" the Purple Ranger exclaimed. As one, the Rangers leaped towards the weapons. The Pink and Red Rangers grabbed them and then-they all appeared back in Angel Grove.

"Yes, it worked!" the Blue Ranger cheered.

"Thank goodness," the Brown Ranger sighed in relief. Rita's eyes blazed furiously.

"MAGIC WAND, MAKE MY MONSTER GROW!" she shouted. Electricity flowed from her wand, striking Pollux who roared as he felt himself growing once more. The Rangers stared up at him as he began walking across the street.


	4. Closing In

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. I only own the subplots and characters you don't recognize. Reference to "Island Of Illusion Pt 2".

"Drago-Tigerzord!"

"Raptor Thunderzord Power!"

"Mastodon-Lion Thunderzord Power!"

"Pterodactyl-Firebird Thunderzord Power!"

"Drago Thunderzord Power!"

"Stega Thunderzord Power!"

"Brachio Thunderzord Power!"

"Triceratops-Unicorn Thunderzord Power!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger-Griffin Thunderzord Power!"

"Tyrannosaurus-Red Dragon Thunderzord Power!" Once again, the zords answered the summons and the Rangers jumped into them. _It's too bad we didn't just reappear in our zords like last time_, the Black Ranger thought to himself. However, that didn't matter. What mattered now was actually taking care of the monster and Lokar once and for all.

"Rangers, combine!" Once again, the zords transformed into the Thunder Megazord. Lokar roared and charged at the Rangers, who powered up the Thunder Saber. Before Lokar even knew what was happening, he had been split into two. Rita's eyes widened. _Whoa! They destroyed Lokar!_ she thought. That had been unexpected. She watched as they turned their focus back to Pollux. The Thunder Saber crackled with energy and the Drago-Tigerzord prepared to shoot an energy bolt. Together, the zords fired and Pollux screamed as he exploded. As soon as the monster was destroyed, everyone he had turned into stone returned to normal.

"OOOOH! I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY BEAT US!" she shrieked. She pushed past her minions and stalked towards Finster's laboratory. "FINSTER, YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SPACE DUST! POLLUX HAS BEEN DEFEATED!" she screamed.

"I'm sorry, my Queen, but I **do** have some good news," Finster apologized.

"And what is that?" Rita snapped, calming down somewhat.

"Zedd's energy levels are exceedingly low. Two more monsters and he will be completely powerless, allowing you to defeat him with no problems," Finster told her. Rita grinned.

"Oh, Finster, you clever little dingbat! That **is** good news!" she approved. _Yes, this will work out great_, she thought to herself. Then, "Goldar, Scorpina! Get in here!" The two generals came running into the laboratory.

"Yes, Empress?" they both asked.

"Finster has just given me the most wonderful news: only two more monsters until Zedd is **completely** powerless!" the witch announced.

"And then-we destroy him!" Scorpina enthused, excitedly slapping Goldar.

"And it was all possible due to Empress Rita," Goldar said as Scorpina played with the fur that was sticking out of his helmet. He gave his wife a quick kiss. Meanwhile, on Earth, Jason had joined Bulk, Skull, and Tyler for a stakeout. Presently, two teens came out and started loading up the supplies. The four waited until the teens had everything in one spot. Then, they walked up to them.

"Hate to break it to you guys, but you're under arrest," Jason said.

"WHAT!" the teens exclaimed. The Ranger began reading them their rights as Tyler spoke into his walkie-talkie. Several minutes later, Lt. Stone arrived and the culprits were led away.

"Now see, we got a lot more done when we gung ho," Jason commented.

"Huh?" Bulk, Skull, and Tyler asked.

"It's Chinese for "working together"," Jason explained.

"Oh," the others said.

"Yeah, it was pretty cool," Tyler allowed. Then, he walked off. Jason just shook his head.

"Well, he didn't try to take full credit for the bust, so I guess that's something," Bulk commented.

"Yeah, baby steps," Skull agreed. Jason nodded. Then, they headed for where the housing project was. Approaching the site, Katherine gasped. She wasn't sure how, but it had been completely fixed. It didn't even look like it had been torn apart.

"Wow. This is amazing. How did this happen?" she asked.

"The Clean Up Club and the Angel Grove Girls Club found out that Rita attacked it and everyone pitched in to fix it up," a girl stated.

"Really?" Katherine asked.

"Yeah, it was Diane's idea," Hilary replied. Diane just shrugged.

"Well, I wasn't going to let a good project like this be destroyed," she said. Katherine hugged the girl.

"Thank you," she said.

"Any time," came the response.

THE END


End file.
